Entrance fees at Rocky Mountain National Park increase

Below is a list of the new prices for Rocky Mountain National Park’s passes, effective June 1:

» Day pass: $25

» Seven-day vehicle pass: $35

» Seven-day motorcycle pass: $30

In the face of rising expenses and a need for increased maintenance, Rocky Mountain National Park will increase the price of all but one of its passes by $5-$10.

The increase, however, is far less than the original proposals put forward last year.

According to a news release from park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson, the changes will begin June 1. The price of a day pass will increase from $20 to $25. The park's seven-day vehicle pass will increase from $30 to $35, and the seven-day motorcycle pass will increase from $25 to $30. The prices of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands Annual Pass, and the Lifetime Senior Pass will remain $80.

According to the release, 80 percent of money from those passes remains in Rocky Mountain National Park; the other 20 percent is shared with other national parks.

The announcement by the National Parks Service comes after an October decision to raise the price of passes at 16 national parks. Last year, though, the proposed raises were steep — as much as $70 per vehicle for a day pass. Although the actual fee increases will be far less, they will still address the park's needs, according to the release.

With Rocky Mountain National Park ranking as the nation's fourth most-visited park, maintenance costs can be high — the park has an $84 million backlog on projects such as rehabilitating numerous trails throughout its more than 265,000 acres of land, according to the release. Once implemented, the new fee structure is expected to bring in $60 million to help fund those projects, according to the release.

Breaking it down

Below is a list of the new prices for Rocky Mountain National Park’s passes, effective June 1: